Interplayers sets sights high for ”06
The status (to mangle our Latin) will be far from quo at the Interplayers Ensemble next season.
Spokane’s oldest resident professional theater has announced a new season that will include a pair of musicals, a world premiere, a collaboration with Eckart Preu, a massive partnership with Gonzaga University and a new Reader’s Theatre series.
Not to mention plenty of crowd-pleasing titles.
Here’s the rundown, with dates approximate:
• “The Mystery of Irma Vep,” by Charles Ludlum, September-October – A campy two-person, quick-change comedy involving supernatural beings. A hint: Irma Vep is an anagram for vampire.
• “Lewis and Clark: Manifest Destiny,” by Alan Klem and Frederick Hanna, October-November – A musical multimedia experience based on the expedition’s diaries. Artistic director Niké Imoru said the production will be a collaboration with Gonzaga University’s arts programs and will have a cast of 30.
• “The Fantasticks,” by Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones, November-December – The much-loved 1960 musical comedy about young love and parental meddling. Spokane musician Kendall Feeney will be the musical director.
• “Mozart and Salieri,” by a playwright to be announced, March-April – A world premiere about the intriguing possibility that Salieri poisoned his more-famous colleague. The idea is being developed through ongoing conversations between Imoru and Spokane Symphony musical director Preu, a Mozart authority. A playwright will be commissioned later.
• “Romeo and Juliet,” by William Shakespeare, April-May 2006 – The timeless tale of young love and tragedy. Imoru will play Mercutio – but whether she will play him as a man or a woman will be up to director Braden Abraham. (Shakespeare has been good for Interplayers so far; the current production of “Othello” is proving to be a hit.)
• “The Miss Firecracker Contest,” by Beth Henley, May-June 2006 – A comedy about intrigue and infighting at a beauty pageant in Yazoo City.
That’s only six shows, down from Interplayers’ usual seven.
“That’s because of the grand scale of some of these productions,” said Imoru.
Filling in the spaces, however, will be a new Reader’s Theatre series featuring “Tuesdays with Morrie,” by Jeffrey Hatcher and Mitch Albom; “To Kill a Mockingbird,” adapted by Christopher Sergel; and “Love Letters,” by A.R. Gurney, with dates to be announced.
For season tickets and information, call Interplayers at 455-7529.
‘Plaid’ may run forever
Excellent news from CenterStage: The run of the ‘50s musical revue “Forever Plaid” has been extended.
Performances for this dinner-theater show have been added on May 21 and 26-28, and June 2-3, 9 and 11. There also will be a Mother’s Day matinee on May 8.
The original run, which was scheduled through today, has been a timely feel-good hit for CenterStage. Many performances have sold out.
To buy tickets for the new dates, call the CenterStage box office at 747-8243 or TicketsWest outlets (325-SEAT, 800-325-SEAT, www.ticketswest.com). The price is $35 for dinner and show.
The previously scheduled “Spitfire Grill” has been postponed until next season.
Hello, Emmylou
Here’s a big-name concert just booked: Emmylou Harris will play the Spokane Opera House on Oct. 6. She’ll be joined by special guest Buddy Miller.
Tickets will be $47.50, $37.50 and $19.50. They go on sale through TicketWest outlets on May 7.
A new local radio show
KXLY-AM (NewsRadio 920) has launched a new local program, “Focus On Spokane,” every Wednesday from 9 to 10 a.m.
According to co-host Bud Nameck, the show will cover a variety of topics, including childhood obesity, health care, summer travel tips and cell phone usage on airplanes.
Wednesday’s inaugural show was about teen suicide and featured guests Paul Quinnett, a nationally known authority on the prevention of teen suicide, and Dr. Kim Thorburn, Spokane County’s public health officer.
Nameck, Deb Wilde and Mike Fitzsimmons will share the hosting duties, with Julie Scott producing.
The art of the play
Local playwright Sandy Hosking will present a free playwriting workshop this afternoon from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at the Spokane Valley Barnes & Noble. The topic will be dialogue, and the workshop is free.
By the way, Hosking’s play “Bemused” has just been selected for a reading and workshop at the Last Frontier Theatre Conference in Valdez, Alaska.
Hosking’s plays have been produced in New York City and Los Angeles, as well as in Spokane.
An accordion virtuoso
Did you know we have an accordion virtuoso in our midst?
Sammy Thomas, 16, of Cheney, just won a $1,000 scholarship from the Jean Monti Scholarship Fund of the Arizona Accordion Club. That’s the largest scholarship the club has ever bestowed.
The club’s president said Thomas is “the finest teenage accordionist to ever perform at our club.”
Thomas has competed all over the United States and Canada. When competing against adults at the 2004 International Accordion Festival in Kimberly, B.C., he finished first in the classical, jazz and popular music divisions.
ARt looking for a home
The Actor’s Repertory Theatre is on the lookout for a downtown space as a permanent home.
Artistic director Michael Weaver said that he has been happy with the Spartan Theatre at Spokane Falls Community College, but “the time has come to think about a permanent home, and downtown Spokane is the place ARt wants to be.”
The ARt board’s building committee is already looking at several downtown properties and is looking for more.
Any suggestions? Call Weaver or Grant Smith at 838-4013. They hope to be in their own building within three years.